cohen



( Model H 2 Sheets sheet 1.

S. A COHEN.

STEP LADDER No. 577,645. Patented Feb. 23, 1897.

WITNESSES:

INVENTOR ATTORNEY (N6 Mddel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 sLAvooH-En;

STEP LADDER. v No. 577,645. PatentedPeb. 23, 1897" I ilmuu' WITNESSES:

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STANLEY A. COHEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STEP-LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,645, dated February 23, 1897.

Application filed A g 1396- T0 on whom it Til fly concern:

Be it known that I, STANLEY A. COHEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Step- Ladders, of which the following is a specification.

7 My invention relates particularly to a step ladder having a platform adapted to support a workman, and has for its main object to provide a simple and strong structure of this class and one in which the platform is so arranged relatively to the ladder proper and its supporting-frame as that it is automatically brought to working position when the struc ture is opened out, and when in such position is firmly sustained and affords an extensive bridge for the workman, whereby he is enabled to cover or reach over a comparatively large area without descending from the ladder and readjusting its position a desideratum readily recognized by painters, plasterers, paper-hangers, window-cleaners, and the like..

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby the workman may steady himself and may be kept from falling off the platform while in the performance of his labor.

My invention consists in the various features of construction and combinations of devices hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a step-ladder embodying my improvements in its opened-out or working condition. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same when in a folded or non-working condition, the upper portion being broken away and made partly in section in order to more clearly disclose the construction and arrangement of the parts at this locality; and Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the ladder when in the folded condition shown at Fig. 2.

In the several views the same part will be found designated by the same numeral of reference.

1 designates the ladder portion proper, 2 the supporting-frame, and 3 the platform.

The ladder portion consists, as usual, of sides Serial No. 603,824. (No model.)

4, which may be slotted longitudinally, as at 5, and to which sides the steps 6 are secured in the well-known manner. At the upper end of the ladder portion 1 is secured a top board or step 7, to which the platform 3 is attached at one end by means of a hinge or pivot 8. The opposite or free end of the platform is adapted to rest upon a. cross-piece 9, secured to the ladder-support 2. A transverse bar or stop 10 is provided at the free end of the platform to prevent the platform from falling down between the ladder portion 1 and the supporting portion 2 when the ladder is opened out, and hence also for maintaining the platform in a condition such that when the strucin re is closed the platform will swing or drop down on the outside of the supporting-frame, which is very desirable, inasmuch as by this provision it is insured that the platform shall automatically assume a working position when the two main parts of the structure are separated or spread apart. Unlike the ordinary step-ladders, having what are known as pail shelves or platforms, the ladder portion and the supporting-frame are not pivoted or hinged together at their upper ends, and accordingly when the structure is opened out the upper end of the ladder portion and the upper end of the supporting portion are capable of wide separation, and the space thus form ed or created between these two portions is automatically bridged over by the platform as the portions 1 and 2 are spread apart.

The parts 1 and 2 are of course connected together by means of folding frames 11 and 12, the frame 11 being pivoted at 13 to the upper portion of the ladder proper and the frame 12 being pivoted at 14: to the upper portion of the supporting-frame. The connectingframes 11 and 12, at their lower ends, are looselyor slidably connected to the parts 1 and 2, the frame 11 having eyes 15, adapted to slide along rods 16 on the part 2, and the frame 12 having similar eyes 17, adapted to slide along rods 18 on the part 1. The frame 11 consists of two longitudinal strips 19, connected together by cross-pieces 20, and the frame 12 likewise consists of two longitudinal strips 21, connected together by cross-pieces 22. The frames 11 and 12 are loosely connected together by a cross-pin or pivot 23.

One of the side pieces 4 of the ladder is formed or provided with a longitudinal eX- tension 24, and one of the two side pieces of the supporting-frame 20 is likewise formed or provided with a longitudinal extension 25 to form posts or uprights which may be grasped by the workman for the purpose of steadying or supporting himself. In order to provide a further or more extended support and also to prevent the workman from falling from the platform, I have provided a flexible hand and guard rail 26, which, as shown, consists of a pieces of rope connected at its ends tothe upper ends of the extensions 24 and 25.

As shown at Figs. 2 and 3, the structure is capable of being folded together into compact form, and, as shown at Fig. 1, when the portions 1 and 2 are bodily pulled apart the platform automatically assumes a horizontal working position, as does also the flexible hand-rail. WVhen the parts 1 and 2 are pressed toward each other to close the ladder,the lower ends of the frames 11 and 12 slide down the guide-wires and the platform rides along the cross-piece until the closure is completed, when the platform drops to an approximately vertical position, such as represented at Fig. 2. When the parts 1 and 2 are pulled apart, the lower ends of the frame rise and the platform is lifted by the cross-piece 9, which acts at the beginning of its outward movement to raise the platform and to support the same thereafter as long as the parts 1 and 2 are kept apart.

Of course the platform may be attached to the supporting-frame 2 instead of to the ladder proper, but I prefer the arrangement shown and described.

The uprights and the guard-rail may be provided on each side of the ladder, but their arrangement on one side only I deem sufficient.

The lower ends of the connecting frames or bars may be detachably connected to the parts 1 and 2 instead of being arranged as shown,so that they may be fastened or latched when the parts 1 and 2 are separated and unfastened when the parts 1 and 2 are to be drawn together.

Various other changes in detail, construction, and arrangement may be made without departing from the gist of my improvements.

If desired, the posts 24 and 25 may bejointed or hinged, so as to permit of being folded compactly when the ladder is closed, thereby effecting a saving in the space required.

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a step-ladder, the combination of the parts 1 and 2, disconnected at their upper ends so as to be bodily separable thereat by a movement of said ends outwardly in opposite directions for the creation of a space therebetween, and a pendent platform attached at one end to the upper end of one of said parts and arranged to automatically bridge said space when said upper ends are thus bodily spread apart, as and for the purpose shown and described.

2. In astep-ladder, the combination of the parts 1 and 2 connected together in a manner such that said parts may be bodily spread apart at their tops as well as at their bottoms in the opening-out operation of the ladder by a movement of said parts outwardly in opposite directions, and a platform hinged or pivoted to the upper end of one of said parts and so arranged as to be capable of being lifted to a working position by the other of said parts when the two parts are separated; substantially as set forth.

3. In a step-ladder, the combination of the bodily-separable parts 1 and 2, pivoted connecting-frames which permit said parts 1 and 2 to be moved outwardly in opposite directions for their entire lengths, and so as to create a comparatively wide space between the upper ends of the parts 1 and 2, and a platform hinged or pivoted to the part 1 and adapted to be automatically raised to a working position by the part 2 by and during the move ment of separation of said two parts; substantially as set forth.

4. In a step-ladder, the combination with the parts 1 and 2 arranged to be bodily spread apart at their tops as well as at their bottoms in the opening-out operation of the ladder, of a platform hinged or pivoted to one of said parts and arranged to hang pendent on the outside of the other of said parts and to be automatically raised thereby by and during the movement necessary to separate the parts 1 and 2; substantially as set forth.

5. In a step-ladder, the combination of the bodily-separable parts 1 and 2, and the connecting-frames pivoted at their upper ends to the parts 1 and 2 and slidably connected at their lower ends to said parts; substantially as set forth.

6. In a step-ladder, the combination of the separable parts 1 and 2, the platform pivotally attached to one of said parts and liftable by the other of said parts, and the connecting bars or frames, pivoted at their upper ends to the parts 1 and 2 and loosely connected at their lower ends to said parts; substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 17th day of August, A. D. 1896.

A. A. FORREST, O. A. STEWART.

ICO 

